Pages

Friday, July 28, 2006

I've been so out-of-hand lately. I know my place and all but I just don't know what has gotten into me.For instance, I was told to stay at home and fininsh cleaning but instead I went to work. Now it doesn't matter that it was I who said stay home but why didn't I listen?Okay, bad example. Yesterday I was told to shut up but I didn't, Matter of fact, I talked even more. This insanity has to end. I'm putting my foot down.You know, men folk don't like a sassy woman. They got a war to fight and all and other manly things to do and they don't have time to deal with a sassy-mouthed, hardheaded woman. This I know to be true.Just ask any of them about it. Ask them if they mind putting up with your mindless chatter, endless requests and paying attention to you. Ask any of them. The answer will be a resounding No!If you women would just do what the man says, get his dinner on time (and don't burn it) and stay out of his way, the world would be a much, much better place.There, I said it.

P.S.Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew, chimed in on the Middle East war this morning on Fox during Your World with Cavuto.He said America should stay out of it because it is a regional situation. In other words, if America got into it, it would turn into a free-for-all over there and lead to World War 3."I'm sitting there looking at kids dying and women bleeding--I don't think that's good for (anyone)," he said.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

April 2005 was a time for reflection and humor. It's almost as if I didn't write the post because I laughed and I'm still giggling--sorta.I don't know what I was going through I'm sure it was trivial and blown completely out of proportion by me but go read it anyway.Click on the title of this post and page down a little and you will see "Stupid Questions."MsMcCloud

Friday, July 21, 2006

textbox: Become a volunteer to help clean the city. Call public information at 881-1314.

GARY--It's been going on for years but Thursday, the message was clear: illegal dumping in Gary will bring jail time and a hefty fine.Gary Mayor Rudy Clay delivered this message at a press conference Thursday, hailing the work of code enforcement police who responded to a call of illegal dumping Wednesday afternoon in the 800 block of Lincoln Street."The lesson that should be learned is that if you dump garbage in Gary (illegally) you go to jail and your truck will be impounded," Clay said.Clay is taking the tough stance because he said for years, residents and those who live outside of Gary, have been taking advantage of the city by dumping their trash and bulk items anywhere they pleased.According to police reports, Cpl. Len Miller and Ofc. Anthony Boleware arrived on the scene in squad cars to find two black males allegedly dumping from a red and blue pick up truck, dry wall and other construction materials in an alley.Duane L. Campbell 28, of Gary and Aliel Pettis, 28 of Joliet, Ill.--but who listed a Gary address, were arrested Wednesday and charged with criminal mischief, a misdemeanor. Campbell and Pettis were cited for dumping litter in an alley. Both men are scheduled to appear in court August 16.But it didn't have to happen that way."On the very next block, there is a dumpster. They were doing construction on a house. They took everything out of the house and put it in the garage and in the evening they backed their truck up and took it out and dumped it in the alley. Miller and Boleware caught them on a traffic stop," Terry Smith, GPD Inspector, said. Smith is in charge of code enforcement for the city of Gary."This is a continuing investigation," Smith said. The owners of the house were cited for not having garbage cans or improper garbage cans, failure to maintain property, unsanitary conditions, creating a nuisance, accumulation of garbage and unnecessary storage and debris.Owners of the property on Lincoln Street can face thousands of dollars in fines. Campbell and Pettis are not only facing fines for the misdemeanor arrest and code enforcement violations but also have a $1,000 bond, Smith said.The mayor kicked off a clean Gary initiative in May and since then has staged several clean -up efforts involving volunteers and the General Services Department.Clay has asked citizens to clean around their homes and to involve their neighbors. He has asked residents to remove abandoned cars from property and dispose of hazardous and bulk waste appropriately.Gary residents may dump bulk items free of charge two times a day at 4710 Industrial Highway and three times per week at an east side residential drop-off site located at 15th Avenue and Clay Street. However moving vans, trailers and dump trucks must pay commercial rate. ###

g-firefighter 07-19-06Copyright LJM 2006GARY--They endured 20 weeks of pre-dawn jogging, classwork and intensive training but itall paid off Wednesday when 11 men were inducted as Gary's newest firefighters."This is the first class of 2006. I hope each one invests 20 years. These are wartimerecruits. They have to be very aware of their surroundings because this is a high alertarea. We are the front line responders," Gary Fire Department Chief Robert Walker said.His thoughts were echoed within each recruit."I hope to have a great career and save many lives," Juan Gonzalez, 28 from East Chicago,said.Sultan Jaber said he joined because of the respect firefighters receive in the communityand a chance to save lives. He also understood the sadness he may encounter if they are toolate."Being a fireman is not an easy career," Gary Deputy Mayor Geraldine Tousant, said.Walker said the department is replacing the 21 retiring fire personnel, so another class offirefighters may soon be trained.The men stood tall in their dress blues as they walked across the stage at the Genesis Center to receive their badges."It helped me develop self esteem. It's the brotherhood and the love you get from theother firefighters. The training I received prepared me and so I will lose any fears,Jamier Ruffin, 23, of Gary said.Mark Everette, GFD Chief of Training, said recruits are trained beyond the state requirements."They are trained to firefighter II, the highest level of certification. It's hard to keepup with training outside of the structure of the academy so we train them ahead of time sothat they may pursue other certifications. You can't get any other certifications in thestate with out firefighter II training.He said all training is done in house. They must pass an agility test, lift a 60 pound extension ladder, run a mile in 10 minutes and be tested for claustrophobia and vertigo."Training weeds them out. We started with 12," Everette said.He also took the recruits for a run through the city's neighborhoods ever morning at 5:45 a.m. He acknowledged their success in a speech."Some of you were out of shape. We ran through each community so they could become familiar with the different regions of the city," he said.Each recruit received 260 hours classroom training since Emergency Medical Service is now the firefighter's primary response in Gary, Everette said."This training can take them anywhere," he said. ###

Monday, July 17, 2006

GARY--Hundreds settled in for sausage, grits, eggs, biscuits and gravy Saturday morning at the Gary Centennial Unity Breakfast held inside the Genesis Center. There was a cheerful buzz in the room about anything from the massive steel sculpture, the Fusion--which would later be dedicated--to the glee at seeing old colleagues.It was a time where many reflected on how far the city has come and where it is heading."This day means strength, pride and accomplishments. We've been here 100 years and it's still going strong and we're looking forward to growth and opportunity," Mirna Gonzalez said. She stood in line with her husband, Naftali--a retired Gary fireman--in one of several gigantic breakfast buffets spread around the open auditorium."I've been here since 1964", her husband, said.They also brought their grandson."We wanted him to experience part of the history", Mirna Gonzalez said.Many expressed curiosity about their city and wanted to get to know Gary in another way."We have a great city here that very few people know anything about," Rufus Purnell said. He bought a 455 page hard-bound copy of "Gary Indiana A Centennial Celebration" that was on sale at the event.There was a mix of politician and average citizen at the breakfast and everyone mingled."I believe the city of Gary has a very rich history and the history is in the people," Gary City Clerk Suzette Raggs said.Dharathula Millender, founder of the Gary Historical Society, stood just ahead of Raggs with a member of the Gary Historical Society. Millender was reconnecting with old friends."(I'm keeping) in contact with all ethnic groups, which is evident," Millender said, pointing to her friend and colleague, Carolyn Lisek, whose father was a Gary business owner. Lisek is a member of the Historical Society."I wanted to see what this was all about," Lisek said.Dorthia Battle said she was glad to see the city come together for the event. She sang with the Family Christian Center Choir, as a part of the celebration.The Rev. Dr. Stephan Munsey, pastor of Family Christian Center in Munster, said his speech would span the past, present and future of Gary. He also said Gary is an unusual city."Our society came in here 168,000 strong at the time of the Industrial Revolution. No city or government can begin to understand how to equip those many people. It was like fast money coming in one day, going out the next," he said."We found ourselves in the 60s. The explosion began to come to a head and we found we were really not ready as a city, when the winds of the storm came. Many people disbanded and didn't know what to do. No one is critical of the leadership--they did the best we could. I read the history. We must do again what Mr. Gary did when nothing was here and he said, 'something's going to happen.'" he said.Some in attendance already had Mr. Gary's idea in mind. There were vendors outside of the Genesis Center who had anything from snow cones to memorabilia for sale. It seemed to show an appreciation for the city's 100th birthday."I love Gary, Indiana. This is the start of something big. With the influx of people we have from other communities such as Chicago--that's generating a different kind of interest that people thought we'd never have in this city. And I really love the Fusion," Eric Johnson, Public Affairs Director, WGVE 88.7 said. ###

Sunday, July 02, 2006

I had never seen Frankie Beverly featuring Maze live before tonight. It was almost like a religious experience. It was like getting your first choice in anything. It was like falling in love over and over again. It was like getting exactly what you want and having it work out all right.It was like a sigh. It was like tears of joy. It was like a Baby's first smile. It was like all was right without the world. It was Frankie Beverly and Maze. These guys have been around for 40 years and they still got it going on. Frankie got some chops. He gives love to the audience and of course, the audience loves him back. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. And he's cute too. I told Mr. Beverly that "I Can Tell By the Look in Your Eyes, That You're Falling In Love With Me." (ooh baby) He said, "Yeah" and nodded his head. That is one of my favorite songs. He looked at me--I guess to see if he could judge my age or maybe that I noticed he didn't sing it or maybe that he sang everything else almost and I still mentioned that one. All of their songs are my favorites. People were at the outdoor concert Chicago Style Stepping and showing out with it and looking good too. Folks were doing the electric slide (a dance) in the grass--and doing it well.But when they performed "Joy and Pain" Lawd we all lost it. He bongoed and keyborded and teased us with the intro. I wiped tears later, thinking about it. The crowd unleashed what ever they were holding back into one great big fury of Joy.

If you've ever heard of the phrase champagne taste on a beer budget, you've found me. I make soap from scratch because regular soap does not agree with my skin, I recreate restaurant meals at home, create appliances I cannot install or afford (yet,) and in general, I figure out a way from no way. I pray a lot too. Join me on my journey. It will be fun.

Everything you see me do is for entertainment purposes only. All of my experiments are for my purposes only. It's fun to watch.

Read an excerpt

Books are cool

Please donate at the Paypal tab below

I realize this blog has evolved into a newspaper archive of sorts--and that is fine--but I spend lots of time searching for this information. While I'm glad you find it useful, please feel free to donate once, if you care. Or buy a radio ad spot for your blog. Or buy one of my books.When I worked, there were a lot fewer entries.Once again, I'm glad my blog helps you with your research. And no, it isn't your fault I got fired;>

William James McCloud III

I hadn't heard anything on the Fourth of July holiday and that was strange. I had the urge to call the day before but since I have a history of being pushy, I let it go.
On the fifth, my birthday, it was my obligation to find out what was going on. It wasn't like Bill to not want to light firecrackers with little Billy on the holiday--it was a yearly debate.
I hoped he wasn't in jail. Illness had not crossed my mind. I thought he was the picture of good health but the things we think can be wrong.
Lauren's Birthday party June 14--the last time we were all together.
He was in the hospital.
William James McCloud III died July 15, 11 days after entering the hospital--after telling his wife Jennifer he wasn't feeling well.
Bill left work early that Wednesday, after consuming an energy drink. Apparently he was having a heart attack. His arteries were blocked.
Bill was only 38 years old. His birthday is next month and his mother tells me a big celebration had been planned.
Bill was my husband. He is the father of my two children. Even though we decided to live separate lives, we still cared for each other. We cared enough to let each other live in peace and stop the fighting. We got along because we wanted to.
Now, he is gone and I feel my former better half has left me alone. When in personal crisis, he was my go-to-guy.
Goodbye, Bill you are loved and I will make you proud and bring honor to your good name.
In Love,
Lauren, Billy and Leslie

Sitewide Disclosure

This policy is valid from 16 June 2008This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact leslie@imadeamesss.com.This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified.To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org/